First Christmas of Forever
by Clomandrae
Summary: Five chapter collaboration between Clomle44 and Rae D. Magdon. We offer no apologies for this unnecessary cavalcade of smut and humorous family situations. Happy Christmas/Merry Hanukkah/Jolly sex-reading. Enjoy your present, A/O fans.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: First Christmas of Forever**

**Fandom: **L&O: SVU

**Pairing:** Alex/Olivia

**Spoilers:** Sometime after Alex comes back from WPP

**Disclaimer:** They belong to Dick Wolf, not me. *sad face*

**Rating: **MA +++

**Dedication:** This is for the Redhead and Rae's Mistress... Clom and I double-promise-cross-our-hearts not to abandon you for fanfic this holiday season!

**AN:** This story has NO redeeming value whatsoever. It is basically Clomle44 and Rae D. Magdon co-writing on crack. We moved from switching _every other sentence_ to every other paragraph to every few paragraphs. There will be around 5 chapters and most of them are already written. Reviews do encourage us to post and write faster! _***wink wink nudge nudge***_

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**Chapter One:**

Olivia moaned and arched her hips off the floor. Reaching down, she gripped Alex's hair, gently urging her closer. Lights danced in front of her vision, though she couldn't tell if they were from the subtle glow of the Christmas tree or the fact that Alex's tongue had just done an intricate swirl on her centre. Her hips jerked again, but two warm hands kept her in place as the attorney's talented mouth teased and tortured her... it was more than worth the pine needles digging in to her naked back and the static in her hair from the where it rubbed against the carpet.

"Oh... god..." she gasped, feeling her second orgasm of the evening start to build.

Sensing how close to the edge Olivia was hovering, Alex deliberately slowed the sweeps of her tongue, taking her time and savoring every sensation. When she felt Olivia's hips start to tremble regardless, she pulled her tongue from the brunette, ignoring the pleading moan that followed, and trailed her lips up the torso beneath her until she reached a panting, pink-lipped mouth. Not caring that she was out of breath, Olivia sighed into the kiss, aware of her own taste and the subtle flavor that was uniquely Alex.

A soft thumb stroked down her cheek. "Do you know how beautiful you are right now?" Olivia felt her face grow hot as she blushed, and hoped that she could pass off the color as the tint of Christmas tree lights.

With Alex hovering above her, she could almost believe that all her Christmas wishes had already come true, and it was still a week until Christmas Day. "Sometimes I think this is too good to be true," Olivia whispered, lifting her head to kiss Alex's throat.

"Sometimes I think I'm dreaming," Alex replied, closing her eyes at the sensation of soft lips stroking her. She tilted her pelvis forward, rocking against one of Olivia's thighs, painting it with wetness.

"Al...ex," Olivia gasped, "touch me please... baby, I want your hands on me."

The sound of Olivia Benson begging was one of the most delicious sounds that Alex had ever heard, and she had to oblige. She dipped her head and took one of Olivia's nipples in her mouth, laving it with her tongue and reminding the detective exactly what that tongue had been doing to her earlier. A slim hand traced down Olivia's thighs, perfectly manicured nails gently scratching at skin, making goosebumps rise in the path they took. Olivia's eyes rolled back in her head, and a strangled cry caught in her throat. Even though she wanted more, she was helpless against Alex's assault.

When a warm hand cupped between her thighs, she was reminded of just how aroused, just how close to the edge, Alex had left her. She gasped, hissing at the contact as a fresh flood of wetness coated Alex's fingers, drawing an appreciative sigh from the attorney.

Alex closed her eyes, letting her fingertips do all the sensation drawing she needed. Soft, supple, wet flesh brushed beneath her, bending, throbbing, aching for more. Olivia shuddered, tilting her hips forward again, seeking more contact, more pressure, because Alex knew all the right spots and was purposely avoiding them. A warm mouth teased her neck, biting down on her pulse point and then soothing it with a tongue as fingers darted down to her entrance, circling, but never giving in.

"Baby, please," Olivia pleaded, "inside... I need you inside of me."

Alex shivered, loving the deep, almost begging quality to her lover's voice, before sliding two fingers teasingly in to the first knuckle. The smooth, silky walls clutching at her hand, drawing her deeper and holding, made her head spin. Even though she had every intention of teasing, every intention of drawing it out, the sheer heat, the moisture, made it impossible, and before Alex knew it, she was as deep inside of Olivia as she could get.

Olivia responded, spreading her legs wider, offering all of herself to her lover as Alex began to move inside her, gently curling her fingers at the end of each thrust. For long minutes there was nothing but the gasping of breath, the sweet, soft lights of the Christmas tree, and the warm rasp of skin on skin. Everything was perfect, the heat, the tightness, the way their bodies ebbed and flowed together like a shifting tide, and Olivia felt the orgasm that had been building in her before grow even stronger.

Her cries filled the air, and she let them out, wanting Alex to hear exactly what the blonde did to her. "Oh baby... please... baby... god... I love you, I love you so much. Oh... that feels so good... oh... god..."

The detective's cries of pleasure urged Alex to keep moving her hand faster and deeper, straining for more. Even though she loved the words falling from Olivia's lips, she took her lover's mouth in a kiss, desperate to feel even more of her.

When she felt Olivia begin to clench around her more frantically, she pulled her mouth away. "That's it, baby, come for me. I want to feel you." Olivia was helpless to resist. Alex's words tipped her over the edge, sending her hurtling into the release that she had been fighting off since they began.

"Alex!" Olivia felt her entire body lift off the floor, anchored only by her lover's fingers and the twin moans that echoed through the air. Alex smiled. Hearing her name as Olivia came for her had to be sweeter than any other sound in the world.

When it was finally over, the detective opened her eyes to see the shining lights of the tree and the most sparkling blue eyes she had ever seen. "Wow," she panted, trying to catch her breath, "that – was... one hell of a Christmas present!"

"Yeah," Alex choked. "I just can't decide if it was yours or mine."

"I think it was mine that time... but we can always change that," said Olivia, sliding her hand down Alex's stomach. "It is the season of giving, after all."

Finding Alex wet was a given, but the throaty moan that the blonde gave when fingers slid into her warm, waiting flesh was enough to make Olivia's lower abdomen clench all over again. Being inside of Alex was the most wonderful thing in the world except, maybe, for hearing her whisper 'I love you', which she did as Olivia continued to stroke her in time to their ragged heartbeats.

Olivia groaned, flipping the blonde under her and gently applying her teeth to the perfect, alabaster skin of one shoulder. Alex whimpered as Olivia pinched her between the pad of her thumb and middle finger, making her muscles quiver violently. Alex arched, breathless, as she tried to get the words out between building rolls of pleasure. "I... you... you make me feel like no one has ever made me feel..." She swallowed a moan. "I... I lo.. love you."

"I love you, too, baby," Olivia murmured in her ear, adoring the emotions of love, pleasure, and trust playing out across the canvas of Alex's face.

"Please," the blonde moaned, "so... close..."

Hearing the need in Alex's voice, she settled into a faster rhythm, smiling against her lover's warm neck when she felt the attorney's hips freeze in midair as she shuddered out her orgasm. But she didn't stop. Her fingers kept sliding, pumping, twisting, making the pleasure extend until she could see Alex's eyes slam open, almost pained in the continuation of her orgasm that just wouldn't stop.

Even as Alex's release stretched on endlessly, Olivia was struck with the sudden urge to taste her. She slid down Alex's body as quickly as possible, draping a slender knee and well-shaped calf over one shoulder.

"Oh... fuck... Liv... I don't..." Alex arched into the touch of Olivia's tongue, and despite her protestations, had no intention of pulling away. Dear Lord, her girlfriend had talent. She wasn't entirely sure that she would survive her detective's latest assault, but she was going to find out. "I-I'm not sure if I... c-can..." she gasped, but Olivia ignored her.

The taste of Alex was something that Olivia would never get over. The delicious sounds of pleasure in her ears and occasional glimpses of Alex's arching body only made the experience even more overwhelmingly perfect. She could feel Alex's thighs trembling around her, quivering, and a hand wound its way into her brunette locks. Obeying the unspoken plea, Olivia's lips glided up, focusing on the excited bundle of nerves as she teased Alex with two searching fingers.

"Oh... CHRIST!" For the second time, Alex arched off the ground, this time screaming as she fisted Olivia's hair and ground shamelessly upwards with her hips. If her tongue had not been busy tending to her excited lover, Olivia would have smiled with smug satisfaction at just how needy Alex was, how freely she was taking pleasure, even begging for it. When the quivering mess of blonde had finally calmed, Olivia kissed her way north along smooth, damp skin.

Feeling drunk with the release she had just given to Alex, Olivia finally ended her journey at the blonde's lips, taking them in one last, sweet kiss that tasted of them both. The kisses were gentle, soft, lips caressing while fingers stroked lazily, the lights of the Christmas tree glistening in the still darkness.

"Mmmm..." Olivia purred, nibbling on Alex's full lower lip. "This is the best Christmas I can remember."

"After what you just did to me, and the way my brain is functioning, this is the only Christmas I can remember."

Feeling rather proud of herself, Olivia gave Alex another quick peck. "I used to imagine this, spending the holidays with you as a couple... but the real experience is so much better."

Alex ran a hand up Olivia's back and then down again, stopping to squeeze a perfectly rounded globe of one buttock. "Is this one of my presents early, by the way?"

Olivia couldn't help smiling. "Well, I'm not wrapped up, but I am under the tree... so, yeah, I guess I am."

Alex leaned up and kissed the edge of Olivia's jaw, sighing with happiness. "Then I guess I don't need any more presents. I don't think you could get me anything better!"

Olivia pouted. "Does that mean you won't like the other things I got you?"

"Of course not, I'm sure I'll love everything you got for me, I just –" The normally eloquent attorney paused, groping for words. "For so long, you were an untouchable dream, and now you're really here, in my arms, and all mine."

Moving to one side, and pulling the blonde into her arms, Olivia stared up at the tree. "Well, I'm not going anywhere, so focus on the important things: What did you get me for Christmas?"

"I'm not telling you!"

Olivia sighed. "But Aleeeex," she pleaded, giving the blonde her best puppy dog eyes. "I don't wanna wait 'til Christmas."

"No exceptions. Even naked exceptions." Alex's eyes took in the toned, bare form wrapped around her. "Even breathtakingly gorgeous naked exceptions."

"Damn," the brunette muttered, "then I'm not telling you either."

"I didn't ask. I like the surprise on Christmas morning."

"Are you sure I can't extract a confession from you?" Olivia purred, slowly trailing her lips down Alex's throat and scattering kisses across her upper chest before drawing an excited nipple into her mouth.

The blonde moaned, arching slightly before gently winding her fingers through brunette locks and lifting the detective's head from her chest. "I love you, and I love you doing that, but you've literally worn me out for a while. Let me recover a bit, yeah?"

Reluctantly, Olivia released her lover's breast, both hands still tracing patterns over Alex's stomach and circling her hipbones. "But you taste and feel so good," she said, wondering if she would ever be able to get enough of this beautiful creature. She doubted it.

"Promise?" The comforting words were a balm to Olivia's soul, making up for all the times when Alex had been forced to leave her behind. "Forever?"

"Yes. I promise. Forever."


	2. Chapter 2

Your responses have been adorable! I'm glad you don't think we should apologize for random smut. There will be more smut and family hijinks coming in the next few chapters! Although Sez is the one who wanted our girls to have at it in an... erm... interesting place in chapter four...

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**Chapter Two:**

Olivia buried her head deeper in the pillow and tried to block out the strains of 'Rocking Around the Christmas Tree' that were coming through the bedroom door. The insistent knocking, however, was more difficult to ignore. "Go 'way!" she shouted, considering whether it was worth the effort to remove the pillow and throw it at the door.

It was too late anyway, because the door was opening with a wry, "Well, Merry Christmas to you too, baby."

"Nooo..." Olivia moaned, burying her face in the mattress and clutching the pillow over her ears.

"Hmm..." Alex said, strolling up to the side of the bed and pinching one of Olivia's firm cheeks underneath the bed sheets. "I didn't know I was celebrating Christmas with the Grinch."

The brunette peered up with her eyes narrowed. "Two days off, I have two days off and you wake me at seven?"

"I did make coffee."

Climbing onto the mattress beside her sleepy lover, Alex began kneading Olivia's shoulders, placing a kiss at the top of her spine. "Come on, wake up for me, baby. I'll make it worth your while."

"Mmm... really?" Olivia licked her lips at her lover's suggestive tone.

"Yup, just as soon as we've opened presents."

With a groan of resignation, the naked detective dragged herself into an upright position, making sure that she was still cocooned in blankets so that the cold air wouldn't touch her skin. "It's cold," she said, "would you bring me a robe, please?"

Alex pouted, but did as she was told, bringing it back and holding it out so that Olivia was forced to at least be naked in front of her for a few seconds.

"Thank you, sweetie," Olivia yawned as she reluctantly left the warm haven of their bed and threaded her arms through the sleeves of the offered robe. She smiled when Alex wrapped her arms around her waist from behind and kissed the back of her head. In return, she decided to leave the robe open in the front so that Alex could get an eyeful. It was Christmas, after all.

"You just want to distract me from presents," Alex said, her eyes distinctly distracted and trailing down. A warm hand reached out and cupped one smooth, tanned breast.

"I like the anticipation," Olivia replied, with a rush of air at the end as her nipple hardened against the Alex's palm.

"Well, I think there are a few presents under the tree that might... interest you..." Alex said, testing the weight of Olivia's breast with a soft squeeze before trailing her hand down the curve of her right side.

"I see something right here that interests me..."

Alex gently put her hands down and grasped the brunette's wrists. "I promise, you can unwrap that gift over and over later today."

Olivia leaned in, letting her mouth trail over the blonde's jaw line. "We still have to go to your father's for lunch."

The lawyer shuddered, partially in mock horror and partially from lingering arousal. Olivia's naked form, even the sliver of it that she could see through the front of her open robe, always had that effect on her. "Mm, don't remind me."

"You like your father," Olivia whispered in her ear, stepping close and pulling the blonde into her.

"I know," Alex gasped as hands slid under her shirt at the back, playing at soft skin. "But I was hoping we could spend your two days alone. Naked."

Olivia was suddenly regretting her decision to don a robe. Fortunately, Alex was having no trouble working her hands beneath the fabric, copying Olivia's explorations underneath her sleep shirt.

"Liv," Alex whispered.

"Mmm?" Came the reply from a very distracted Olivia.

"Presents..."

Hands slipped out of the blonde's sleep shirt. "Now? Seriously?"

When Alex nodded, Olivia snatched back her hands and placed them irritably on her hips. "Fine," she muttered, walking out of the room and re-fastening her robe, "they had better be some darn good presents..."

Alex just smiled. She knew that Olivia was only pretending to be mad, and would cheer up considerably once she drank her first cup of coffee and started opening presents, preferably with a certain blonde lawyer in her lap.

There wasn't just coffee, there were also bagels with cream cheese, Christmas music, and a delightfully lit up tree that made Olivia smile as she strolled into the living room. Taking a seat on the couch, she grabbed for the nearest coffee cup and held it under her nose, inhaling deeply before she took a long drink. Perhaps Alex had been right to wake her up after all, she thought as she gazed at the twinkling lights and tinsel that swirled through the branches of their tree.

"Presents, huh?"

"Mmhmm... but first?"

"First?"

Olivia wrinkled her brow as Alex gently pointed upwards, and then followed with her gaze: Mistletoe.

Looking back down with a devilish grin, Olivia swept Alex into her arms and gave her a deep, tongue swirling kiss that made goosebumps erupt across their skin and their temperatures rise.

Olivia moaned. "That's your first present."

Alex leaned in for another soft meeting of lips, barely brushing her mouth across Olivia's. "Mmm. I like my present..." she said, her hands wandering beneath the robe again. "I've been a good girl this year... may I unwrap it now?"

Olivia leaned back, grinning. "You were offered that present several times earlier this morning. I thought you wanted the other ones."

"Fine. I'll open some other presents first." Alex sighed, knowing that she really had no standing since she had avoided Olivia's advances earlier in favor of opening the pile of packages under the Christmas Tree. Olivia smirked while Alex down and pulled a brightly wrapped box into her lap. Payback was sweet. "So, I got you this... I don't know if you'll like it, but... it screamed Olivia at me."

"It screamed at you?"

"Mm hmm."

"Okay, now I'm worried."

Alex grinned and handed over the package.

"Oof, it's heavy," Olivia said in surprise before she started tearing off the wrapping paper. Squinting at it in curiosity, she turned it over, eyes growing wide. "I'm not sure if I should be flattered that this immediately made you think of me," she teased. A gun safe was definitely not the kind of Christmas present one usually expected to receive, but it was thoughtful nonetheless.

"Well, you spend so much time here... I kind of figured that you should have somewhere safer than the bedside table to keep your gun."

"Are you asking me to move in with you?"

"I've asked you that every week since we started dating, I figure you'll say yes one day."

Olivia grinned. "Yeah, I will..." She moved across the room, pulling a small packet from under the tree and coming back to the couch. "Here, it's definitely your turn."

Alex ignored the packet. "Wait... slow down. Yeah, you'll move in with me? Or yeah, you'll say yes one day?"

That made Olivia blush. "Yeah, I'll move in with you," she said, almost shyly.

Tossing the package onto the cushion beside her, she swung one leg over Olivia's lap and cradled the detective's face in her hands, leaning down to kiss her.

"Wait – Alex ... mmf... presents..."

Her words were cut off by a soft mouth, which soon turned a gentle kiss into one that became almost ferocious in its need. Completely forgetting the presents they were supposed to be opening, Olivia reached down to cup Alex's ass in her hands, pulling the blonde close as a tongue tangled with hers.

"Baby," she moaned when they finally surfaced for oxygen.

"Are you sure I can't unwrap you now?" Alex teased, her knuckles grazing the soft skin of Olivia's cheek. The hands kneading her from behind were a distraction, but she managed to provide a distraction of her own as her lips trailed along Olivia's jawline with soft butterfly kisses.

Olivia gasped, more tempted than she could believe, but managed to remove her hands and gently grasp the blonde's wrists. "You have to at least open one present. I actually thought about what I bought this year, I want some appreciation. Go appreciate."

With a dramatic sigh, Alex reached for the packet that she had discarded in favor of her delicious lover. However, she refused to budge off of Olivia's lap. Backing away just far enough to allow space for the present between them, she tore the wrapping open. "Oh, Liv, it's beautiful..."

"Not as beautiful as you," Olivia whispered, tucking an errant lock of blond hair behind an ear. "It caught my attention immediately. The blue reminded me of your eyes."

A soft kiss hit her cheek.

"Such a romantic," Alex murmured, leaning in to the kiss. "I love it," she said, fingering the soft material of the silk, hand-painted scarf. It really was beautiful, but not as beautiful as Olivia.

"So... about that kiss?"

Alex grinned, wrapping the scarf around her neck even though they were inside. "Another present first."

"It had better be as good as the kiss.""

"Hmm," Alex grabbed another present and plonked it on Olivia's lap. "You'll have to see."

"At least it's not as heavy as my last one," said Olivia, lifting the large but surprisingly lightweight package up and down. Unwrapping the dressings and tearing off the shiny silver bow, which Alex grabbed while she wasn't looking, she peered in the box, unable to find anything at first glance but shredded paper package stuffing (Alex was too environmentally conscious for Styrofoam). "Trying to be a smartass, huh, Cabot?" Alex pressed her lips together to stifle a grin as Olivia turned the box upside down and dumped it out. Following the stuffing, two small rectangles of glossy paper fluttered down to land on top of the pile.

Olivia picked them up, brow furrowing. When she realized exactly what they were, her jaw dropped. "Al... Alex... this is too much. Too much." She swallowed. "I can't accept these."

"Well, they're bought, so you'll have to. In fact, you love me, so you have no choice." Leaning over, Alex brushed her nose against the brunette's cheek, just in front of a perfect ear.

Olivia was still staring at the tickets in surprise. Full season tickets to the Knicks? How had Alex known? How had she even gotten her hands on these?

"Promise to take me to at least a few games," Alex said. "If I'm in your high-class company, even nachos, beer, and screaming, drunken fans seem appealing."

Olivia honestly had no idea what to say. "Alex..."

"Oh hush, honey," the blonde blushed. "Give me another present."

Still stunned, Olivia shuffled to the tree, picked up a present, and brought it back. "This won't compare... but at least ... it's something."

"You have good taste. I'm sure I'll love it," Alex said, gesturing at the silk scarf that she now wore along with her cotton sleep shirt and shorts. It wasn't exactly a typical ensemble, but to Olivia, Alex looked absolutely precious.

The detective watched with nervous anticipation as Alex unwrapped her present.

"See," Alex said with a wry grin, "you have excellent taste. It's gorgeous."

"You have to look at it closer," Olivia said, blushing in a way that made her look adorable.

Looking down at the fancy box that she had opened, Alex reached out to remove the dark blue fountain pen that Olivia had chosen for her. Turning it in her hand, she gasped when she saw the gold lettering on the other side.

"Baby..."

"You spend so much time at work, so much time writing. I just wanted to be on your mind when you're there."

"Liv..." Alex looked up, a spirit of a tear in her eyes. "Aside from the fact that you're pretty much on my mind twenty-four seven, this is the most thoughtful present anyone has ever given me."

Olivia grinned. "Damn, doesn't leave much hope for everything else under the tree then."

"But the day I came back..." Alex couldn't believe how much thought that Olivia had put into her present. The side of the blue pen was inscribed with the date that Alex had returned.

"It was the happiest day of my life because you came home to me." Olivia dropped a kiss on top of Alex's head, stroking her hair. "Maybe when you're working with this pen, it will remind you to come home to me instead of pulling all-nighters, but when you have to, it will also remind you that I love you and will wait for you as long as it takes."

Alex, tears now genuinely rolling down her face, put down the pen and climbed on Olivia's lap, burying her face in the brunette's neck.

"Nuff presents," she mumbled. "Take me to the bedroom and make love to me."

Olivia stroked her hand through blonde locks, cradling the love of her life in her arms gently. "One more present, give me one more to be even."

"That would be three for you and two for me," Alex said, sniffing as her head lifted.

"Nope, because after you give me one, I'm going to take you into our bedroom and make slow passionate love to you, and that's definitely a present."

Alex shuddered, her body already imagining every touch, every caress that Olivia would give to her. "Fine, one more present," she said, "but this is the last one..." Not bothering to look at which package she chose, she just made sure that it had Olivia's name on it before tossing it into her lap.

"It's not the last one, there are at least six more presents under that tree."

"I mean the last one for the moment," Alex said, fidgeting. "Hurry up..."

"Getting antsy, baby?" Olivia asked, her voice suddenly low and gravelly.

Somehow, part of Olivia's robe had slipped off of one tanned shoulder, and Alex ached to place a kiss there. Chewing on her lower lip, she watched Olivia open the small box and gasp in surprise. "Oh wow!"

"Mmhmm," said Alex, staring at the tanned skin in front of her. Leaning forward, she brushed her lips gently across Olivia's gorgeous shoulder.

"It's beautiful."

"I'll say."

"I meant the bracelet," Olivia teased, still fingering the thin silver bracelet that she had been gifted with even as her eyes rested on Alex.

"I decided that I needed to give you at least one girly present. A gun safe and tickets to the Knicks were too butch."

"Well, I'm definitely a girl."

Alex leaned forward, sliding her hand in between the folds of Olivia's robe straight to her uncovered centre. In two strokes she could feel wetness growing, and it was enough for her to slide two fingers straight into Olivia's centre.

"Christ!"

"Mmhmm, definitely a girl," Alex whispered, shuddering slightly at the heat.

Olivia's head lolled back on the couch. Only Alex could make her come totally undone in a matter of seconds. "I don't think... we're gonna - make it to the bedroom," she said hoarsely as Alex continued stroking her with clever fingers. She rolled her hips forward, unsure how she could be so close to orgasm so fast. She shook again when clever fingers pinched her nipple, making it strain into the air. When those fingers were replaced by a soft, willing mouth, Olivia's breath hitched. With Alex's hand still moving between her legs, she clutched the attorney's head to her chest, fingers tightening in her lover's loose blonde hair.

"Oh... god... Alex... I'm... I'm gonna..."

Cold air hit her nipple when a mouth came free with a 'pop'.

"Come for me, baby."

Olivia wanted to wait, wanted to make it last, wishing that she could fulfill all of the promises she had whispered in Alex's ear, but she was helpless as Alex's thumb found her unerringly, rolling in smooth circles that made her head spin. She fisted the back of Alex's sleep shirt, pulling her as close as possible.

"How..." she panted, "how do you do this to me?" She arched her back, feeling fingers plunge and then a wet thumb circled again, and then again. "I ... I can't... breathe.. oh... oh..."

Alex leaned in, latching her lips onto the brunettes pounding pulse point. As she bit down with her teeth, Olivia came apart in her arms, shuddering wildly as her orgasm ripped through her body. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, Alex allowed herself a soft, satisfied smile against the skin of Olivia's throat. The way that Olivia responded to her really was magical.

"Uh..." was all Olivia could manage.

"I love doing that," Alex breathed. "I really, really love doing that."

"You... wow. Ok, give me two minutes to recover and I'm totally going to carry you to the bedroom and show you exactly what I can do."

"I think I like the sound of that." Alex gently removed her fingers from the still shaking detective's centre.

Gathering what was left of her strength, Olivia gently pushed Alex off of her lap. Alex immediately missed her warmth. "Olivia, why...?" she started to ask, but the detective just smiled as she got to her feet and leaned forwards for a kiss. Before she knew what was happening, Alex's legs were around Olivia's waist and their lips were exploring as they tried to navigate their way to the bedroom, ignoring the scattered wrapping paper lying on the carpet and the still glowing lights of the Christmas tree.

Olivia couldn't help but smile against Alex's mouth and just one thought ran through her head: While the things Alex had given her were more beautiful than any other presents she had ever received, she already had the one thing in the world that truly mattered to her.


	3. Chapter 3

Getting surgery today! Wish me luck. - Rae

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**Chapter Three:**

"Holy shit, Alex, this place is huge," Olivia said, staring wide-eyed at the high ceiling of the entranceway. She was tempted to shout something at the chandelier and see if the echo bounced back down to her.

Alex sighed. "Now you see why I love my apartment and didn't want to move back in with my father after WITSEC. Can you imagine keeping up with a place like this?"

"I thought it was because he was an overbearing Senator who tries to tell you what to do with your life?"

"Mmm, don't open dinner conversation with that line, will you?" Alex reached down and took her girlfriend's hand. "Into the fray?"

"Bravely onward," Olivia intoned, not convinced that she was going to survive this encounter. However, the object of her horror, perhaps smelling her fear, had already been informed of their arrival and emerged from the next room.

Gripping Olivia's hand tightly enough to squeeze some of the blood from her arms, Alex offered her father a smile while Olivia regarded the older, mustached gentleman suspiciously. "Hello, Daddy."

The detective was good at her job for many reasons, and her powers of observation were pretty keen. She could see immediately where Alex got her steely blue gaze from, and the progenitor of that gaze was now casting it upon their joined hands.

"Alexandra," he replied, his tone completely unreadable.

Apparently, he was also where Alex got her amazing ability to unnerve and stymie as well. "Hello, Mr. Cabot," Olivia said, trying to reclaim her hand and offer it for a shake. Her fingers were not quite the right color, but she was too concerned to notice. Truthfully, she felt a little like a nervous teenager calling her girlfriend's father 'Mr. Cabot', but at the same time, she couldn't imagine using his first name.

"Aaah, Detective Benson," Alex's father said, his tone still completely incomprehensible to the normally very astute detective.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Sir." She had some better idea of his attitude when he chose to ignore that remark.

She watched him turn away, walking towards the dining room.

"Sorry he's so rude," Alex said in a low tone. "He's so used to getting what he wants."

"What does he want?" Olivia hissed in return.

Alex sighed. "A perfect, obedient daughter with a rich husband and 2.5 grandchildren. He could do without the golden retriever though, he isn't fond of dogs."

Olivia's eyes narrowed. "Is he really that misogynistic?"

"Not misogynistic, mostly classist," said Alex. "He always encouraged me to pursue my education and career. He just has... certain ideas-"

"-Unreasonable expectations," Olivia corrected.

"-Expectations about how people of a particular, um, background should live their lives."

"Hmm... well, at the moment I think he expects us to go into lunch. It's not just us, is it?"

Alex shook her head. "No, my grandparents should be there." Blue eyes widened slightly. "Oh god... this is going to be one hell of a meal."

"Into the fray, as you just said... into the fray."

As Alex led her from the room, Olivia could not help noticing the lavish Christmas decorations that covered the house. There were fir branches and holly, but no mistletoe. Perhaps Alex's father had thought ahead and removed it on purpose. There were also expensive looking ornaments, some hand-carved wood, some bright and shiny new. The place smelled a little like gingerbread, and Olivia wondered whether or not the scent had come in a can. It looked like Martha Stewart had spent the past couple of weeks dressing the house up for some kind of Christmas magazine shoot.

"Alexandra!" A loud, irritated voice came from the smaller of the two dining rooms (two dining rooms? Olivia thought, Who the hell needed two dining rooms for anything?)

Alex sighed. "Do you think you can survive meeting my grandfather?"

"Is he anything like your father?"

"Nooo, I think my father might be considered child's play in comparison."

"Alexandra? Where are you?"

"Emerson, I'm sure she's coming in. Stop being so obstreperous." The voice was particularly female, and sounded fairly amused for such an austere tone.

"Grandma," Alex said, a small smile flitting across her face. "Okay you, it's time to meet your doom." Taking Olivia by the hand, she walked into the dining room.

Pleased with the lighter grip that Alex was using, Olivia allowed herself to be led by the hand. Sitting at the end of the table across from each other were Alex's grandparents, an older man that seemed to have lost most of his neck as he aged and looked particularly disgruntled behind the lenses of his glasses, and an older, well-dressed woman. Despite her age, she looked strangely majestic, perhaps in the way she carried herself. Unlike many of her peers, she had chosen not to dye her hair an unnatural color. Olivia could tell that, at one time, she had probably looked as beautiful as Alex. She offered Alex's grandmother a smile. If this is what she had to look forward to in her old age, she wasn't complaining.

Unlike her rather stilted greeting towards her father, Alex was more than eager to give her grandfather a hug, although it took him a little longer to stand up out of his chair. "Hello, Grandpa. Merry Christmas!"

Alex leaned down and kissed the old man on the cheek with affection.

"Merry Christmas, my girl." Sitting back down in his chair, he motioned to the one next to him. "Have a seat, have a seat."

"Emerson, I'm fairly sure they're supposed to be sitting over there." Alex's grandmother indicated two chairs set on the other side of the table. Olivia tried not to goggle at the sheer amount of cutlery on the table, or the fact that she really didn't know what to do with the bizarre shaped knife thing that was sitting just to the left of the rest of the knives. She also knew she'd never popped a Christmas Cracker that was as expensive as the ones laying across the plates.

"Oh, I'm sure that Alex won't mind sitting apart from her friend for a little while," he said, the dismissive quality of his voice making Olivia's eyes narrow.

"Um, Grandpa, this is Olivia," Alex said, gesturing to the detective and trying to explain herself.

When Alex's grandfather did not respond, his wife took it upon herself to clasp Olivia's hand warmly. "Hello, dear. Alex has told us all about you. We're so glad that you've decided to join us."

Taken aback by her welcoming attitude, Olivia offered a hesitant smile in return. "Thank you," she said sincerely. Sitting down in the chair closest to Alex's grandmother, Olivia gently pulled her chair into the table. "Mrs. Cabot-"

"Oh dear, it's Edna."

Olivia smiled. "Edna." She looked across the table to where Alex was sitting next to her grandfather, chair pulled close, laughing gently at something he was saying. "It's nice to meet you, Alex has told me about you, too."

"Oh dear, no wonder you looked so scared when you walked through the door."

The detective smiled. "It's a little intimidating."

"Oh, don't let the men folk get to you, darlin'. They're just a bunch of old fuddy duddies."

"What was that, mother?" Alex's father took his place at the head of the table and smiled at Mrs. Cabot.

"I was just saying how wonderful it is that Olivia was able to join us," she said, communicating her silent approval with her gaze.

Alex's father, however, ignored the remark. "Alex, dear, did you like your Christmas present?"

Olivia, who had not known about any Christmas present from Alex's father, looked between the two curiously. Her lover, on the other hand, seemed vaguely uncomfortable.

"It was very generous, father."

"It should come in handy with the DA's department. Political connections are everything in this game and most influential people are members."

Alex smiled, but Olivia could see that it hadn't gone to her eyes.

"I managed to wrangle Alexandra a membership to the Club mother, it took some words in ears but it will be very worth it in the end."

Olivia didn't know if she was supposed to say anything, especially when Alex was looking at her rather pleadingly. She opened her mouth to reply and then closed it again when a waiter came in to speak to Mr. Cabot. A Waiter? Who the hell had a waiter at their Christmas lunch? The Cabots, apparently.

Still trying to get over the surprise of the waiter, Olivia noticed that Alex seemed genuinely upset. Of course, Alex was always the model of politeness and decorum, and Olivia was probably the only one who could truly read her emotions beneath the calm mask, but it was there all the same.

Since she couldn't soothe Alex verbally, she settled for reaching across the table with one foot and pressing against Alex's toes in a silent message. At least, she hoped they were Alex's toes, because otherwise that meant that the stiff Mr. Cabot or the ruffled looking Emerson were wearing heels, and that would be more than she could handle. She was already frazzled enough.

Even though she suspected that Alex was only joking, she felt extremely uncomfortable in this setting. 'This is ridiculous,' she thought, trying to build up her confidence. She was a respected police detective. She had been through much more frightening experiences than a family dinner. In fact, she had spent more time than she was comfortable with flattering, cajoling, and cozying up to people in order to get information. Of course, many of her suspects thought she was a bitch, but most people considered her a charming, nice person. Alex certainly did. Now, she just had to get that impression across to Alex's family.

There was just a flicker of one raised eyebrow in response before Alex got up and moved around the table to sit next to Olivia.

"So, I hope we're in for the usual feast, Papa."

"Well, of course, Mrs, Beaton has been hard at work."

They had a chef? One called Mrs. Beaton, apparently. Olivia tried to take it all in, while simultaneously praying that she didn't use the wrong cutlery. A subtle squeeze under the table on her knee made her relax ever so slightly.

"So, seventeen courses of heavenly goodness?" Alex's voice was teasing and joyful, but Olivia felt her stomach lurch. Seventeen courses?

"That sounds wonderful," she said, putting on a winning smile. She could do this. She had been at formal social functions before as part of her job. This was no different – and yet it was completely alien to her. She was dealing with Alex's family, and their opinions mattered to her. "Thank you so much for having me today."

"Honey," Alex leaned over. "It'll be five courses, maximum. Seventeen courses would just be ridiculous."

Even though Olivia was happy that she and Alex at least could read each other's minds, she was still not sure she could manage five courses.

"Besides, once Emerson and Alexander have had a few wines, they'll be much more entertaining," Edna confided. "They're far too stiff when sober."

"Mother!" "Edna!" Both men exclaimed at once.

"You were named after your father? You never told me that," Liv said to the woman sitting to her left.

"Why would you know?" Emerson asked grumpily, adjusting his necktie.

"Because Olivia is my girlfriend," Alex explained tiredly, sounding like a mother reminding a child to look both ways before crossing the street.

Olivia swallowed nervously. "Of course," said Emerson, just as dismissively as before. "But I'm still not sure why you wanted to bring a friend to Christmas dinner."

"It's lunch," Alex corrected, a little coldly.

"Early dinner, then. Doesn't she have family of her own to celebrate with?"

"Olivia is my family, Grandpa."

"Well, perhaps we should be getting on with the first course!" Alexander Cabot lifted his glass to the waiter who offered a small amount of red wine, which he sniffed pretentiously. "This is a charming vintage father, one I put down a few years ago."

Olivia could have sworn that Alex rolled her eyes. She was absolutely sure that Edna did.

"Oh, stop your waffling, Alexander, what's for starters?"

"Prawn, Fennel, and Orange salad, ma'am," the waiter responded.

Well, at least that sounded edible.

"That's a lovely bracelet, my dear. Was it a Christmas present?" Edna leaned over, tracing her finger over the delicate silver band that circled Olivia's wrist.

"Yes, Alex gave it to me."

"Humph, in my day we didn't get so generous with friends."

Trying not to let the hurt show on her face, Olivia absently caressed the cool metal of the bracelet with her other hand. Working with violent criminals, she had suffered insults that were far worse, but the references to her family stung.

Across the table, Alexander Cabot spoke up. "Did you know that Raymond is back in the city, Alexandra?"

Feeling another squeeze of her hand, Olivia watched as Alex steeled herself and then replied. "Raymond and I aren't friends, father."

"Why not?" Alex's father asked, frowning at his daughter from the head of the table as the waiter set the first course in front of them. For some reason, Olivia did not feel much of an appetite even though the food looked delicious. "He's from an excellent family."

"Father, what family you're from doesn't have much bearing on how nice you are. Raymond, frankly, is a Neanderthal."

Olivia's eyes widened slightly as she scooped some fennel into her mouth.

"So many men are," Edna agreed cheerfully.

The detective had to hold back a snort at the sheer irony of Emerson Cabot's response to the conversation merely being a grunt.

"Case in point," added his wife.

Carefully observing Alex, Olivia set about picking through the first course of the meal. She felt a little like a trained monkey trying to copy the other people at the table.

"So, how did you meet this Raymond," she asked softly in Alex's ear, trying to ascertain whether or not he was a threat. She knew that Alex was hers, body, mind, and soul, but if her lover had any unwelcome admirers, she wanted to know about it.

"Son of someone my father knows," Alex replied in a low tone. "Thought he was a shoe in for me losing my pants after taking me to coffee. Needless to say, not my type."

"Mmm... do I need to get the boys involved?"

"I don't think so. Raymond knows where he stands, it's -" Alex nodded ever so subtly towards her father, "- who won't get the message."

"Ok."

The blonde grinned, baring white teeth. "Don't worry darlin', you're safe."

"What?" Emerson, gruffly and quite rudely interrupted. "What are you young snigger whappers talking about?"

"It's whipper-snappers dear, and you really should wear your hearing aids to family dinners," said his wife.

Feeling much more secure in Alex's affections even though she knew that she really not needed to worry in the first place, some of Olivia's confidence returned. "So, Mr. Cabot, what is it that you do? I'm afraid Alex has never told me. I know that you have your own exclusive law firm, but she never told me what kind."

"We generally work with corporations," Alexander Cabot said dismissively, not bothering to go into specifics that he assumed (incorrectly) Olivia would not understand. "I still can't believe that my Alexandra is a prosecutor of all things. She's much too high class to work with dangerous felons."

"You should be very proud of her," Olivia said, "she's wonderful at what she does." Even though a tiny part of her agreed with him, she knew the people of New York City could have no better attorney putting the bad guys away. Alex, who was unused to having anyone else come to her defense when it came to her father, gave Olivia a dazzling smile.

"Thank you, love."

"It's true. You're amazing."

"Where's the second course?" Emerson said. "And weren't we talking about this Raymond fella? Who is he? Is he your boyfriend, Alex?"

"Emerson, for God's sake, either drink less or more wine," Edna cut in frustratedly.

"Grandma, it's okay."

"Well, I see we have our usual Christmas decorum," Alexander Cabot intoned while dabbing his lips gently with his napkin.

Olivia, so stunned amongst the strange bipolar Cabot Christmas, which she admittedly had expected to be a little more restrained, hadn't quite finished her starter when the waiter came to take it from her with a slightly pointed look. She jumped when he appeared at her shoulder, and then jumped a little again when she felt a well manicured hand squeeze her thigh just a little bit higher than it had been resting before. It was still in a safe zone, but knowing Alex, wouldn't stay there for long.

As she had anticipated, Alex's slender hand began to slide teasingly up along her thigh as the waiter left them to finish their second course. "So, why is this Lisa person here instead of your young man?" Emerson asked, unwilling to drop the subject.

Olivia was content to let the comment slide, but Alex had no such restraint. "Because Olivia is the one I'm with, Grandpa," she said pointedly.

"I know that, she's right next to you," he muttered.

"That's not what I-"

"This is really delicious," Olivia interrupted, trying to smooth over the rough patch in the conversation. "My compliments to Mrs. Beaton." The name ended with a slight hitch of her breath as Alex's fingertips dipped beneath the hem of her dress, exploring garter straps and the soft tan skin just above. Olivia tried to reach under the table and stop her discreetly, but Alex batted her hand away.

When fingernails scratched over her skin, Olivia had to make a choice: Alex's hand had to go, or she had to get up and leave.

Firmly grasping the blonde's hand she moved it off her thigh and returned to her dinner, trying to pretend nothing had changed.

"Alexandra, have you thought about moving into the Fraud Investigation squad like I suggested?" Alexander Cabot smiled at his daughter. "I'm fairly sure Senator Green could give you a helpful hand up the line. Fast promotion track and all that."

"I'm not sure prosecuting your friends is what Alex has in mind for her career dear," Edna said in the most offhand manner that Olivia had ever heard. The way the Cabots spoke to each other was almost unbelievable, but the detective was fast becoming very attached to the doyenne of the family.

"Oh dear lord," Alex muttered under her breath.

"Alex's name is definitely getting out there," Olivia added, trying to appease Alexander Cabot. "She was on the news the other day..."

"For the gang rape down in Chelsea?" Alex asked. Sometimes, it was hard to keep track. Work kept her very busy.

"Alexandra! Please don't discuss such things at the dinner table. This is exactly why I think you would be much more suited to a more streamlined, respectable career in the law."

Olivia was extremely grateful that Alex's hand disappeared when the waiter came to remove the second course plates. She took the opportunity to slide her chair out from the table, preventing the hand from returning, and to stand gently.

"Please excuse me," she said. "I think I might need to..."

Edna smiled. "Use the facilities?"

Olivia, more grateful than she could say because she couldn't think of a polite way to ask for the bathroom, nodded.

"Down the corridor to the left."

And the brunette fled.

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Sez and I would like to thank you for all of the kind reviews. You've been so awesome and we really appreciate you fans for writing to us. I read every review and put it in a file to save forever. Know what would be a cool goal? 100 reviews before this story is over! Think we can do it, Clom?


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, so I'm doing great after my surgery. And I miscounted chapters, there's plenty of teasing in this one, but the hardcore smut is in Chapter Five. Sorry!

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**Chapter Four:**

After a brief wrong turn, Olivia finally reached the bathroom, grasping the edge of the shining white sink with both hands as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was still hot and the dark circles of her pupils had expanded to swallow the brown irises of her eyes. She could feel the tips of her breasts scraping uncomfortably against the bust of her dress. Normally, she enjoyed the fact that her girlfriend was affectionate, even teasing, but not in public, especially when they were guests of her father and grandparents in a huge house that could eat most other houses for breakfast.

Taking a washcloth from a silver bar attached to the wall, she wetted one corner and tried to cool down her face. Alex always coaxed such profound responses from her body, and sometimes she did not know how to cope.

"Ahem, I see you found the place all right, Detective," a familiar voice purred from behind her as pale, slender arms wrapped around her waist. Still skittish, Olivia jumped. Alex Cabot, a possessive gleam in her eyes, had wandered into the bathroom behind her and was now in the process of closing the door.

"Uh..." Olivia replied weakly. Having her lover so close was doing nothing for her self-control, or ability to douse the flames inside her. "Detective skills come in handy?"

When the blonde took another step forward, trapping Olivia against the vanity with her body, the brunette had to fight the urge to melt into the floor. "You have other skills I like better."

She was purring. Alex was purring. Had she not been at the dinner table? Had she not just put up with the most insane conversation ever? Had she not run her fingernails lightly down the inside of Olivia's thigh, making the brunette wetter than she thought was possible when dining with her in-laws?

"Alex - gah... don't... why are you even here?"

The attorney smiled devilishly, trailing a teasing fingertip down Olivia's jaw and over the jumping pulse in her neck. "I was concerned about you. I came to see if you needed any... _help_..."

Alex's hands settled at the flare of Olivia's hips, stroking the sides of her dress and exploring delicious, familiar curves.

"Guh - um... n-no! I'm fine! Just... god, not here! They don't need any more reasons to hate me."

Alex's nose was nuzzling at her ear, making it very, very hard for Olivia to think straight. "I'm pretty sure if I slid my hand down now I'd find you wet for me, baby." All that echoed through the bathroom was a soft moan, followed by a whimper when Alex's hands found the edge of the brunette's dress and lifted, sliding it up curves and over hips.

"Mmm, I want to taste you."

A clever hand snaked underneath the skirt of her dress, grazing the wet material of Olivia's panties and making her shudder. The detective gasped, her eyes closing slightly at the soft pressure. "I knew you'd be wet for me..." she said, sounding more than a little smug.

With the last of her willpower, Olivia squirmed out of Alex's embrace, trying to break the seductive spell that the blonde was casting over her. "No. Bad, bad, bad! Very bad idea. They're gonna wonder where we are..." she said, sounding more than a little panicked as she headed for the door and straightened her dress. She couldn't help but chuckle nervously at Alex's pout, however, since the blonde looked like someone had stolen her cookie.

"You didn't honestly think we were going to have sex in the bathroom of your father's house, did you?"

The blonde pouted harder. "It's the only room with a lock."

"Alex! They're expecting us back at the table!"

For a moment, Olivia considered grabbing Alex's hand and dragging her back, but decided that touching the blonde was really not a good idea right now. Her body was still humming with electricity from the attorney's soft touch and she didn't trust herself. Making her escape, Olivia stumbled out of the bathroom, hoping that she looked somewhat presentable and that she would remember the way back to the dining room.

Fortunately, Alex stopped her from making another wrong turn to her left. "Left on the way there, right on the way back," she said, still sounding disappointed and slightly sulky.

"I knew that," Olivia grumbled.

"You owe me another Christmas present," Alex said grumpily.

"Because I wouldn't..."

"Yes! Exactly."

Olivia stopped in the corridor staring at the blonde who was still pouting. "You can't be serious!"

"Baby, this lunch isn't exactly fun for me either. I was just trying to make it a slightly better experience for both of us."

"Dear lord, what would your father say?"

"Probably: Alexandra, what on earth are you doing? Couldn't you at least give oral sex to someone of a higher social standing?" Alex rolled her eyes, continuing back into the dining room before Olivia could offer a rejoinder.

"Hello, dears, we thought you had gotten lost," said Edna, smiling to greet Alex and Olivia as they took their seats at the table. While the two male Cabots fussed at Alex for her untimely departure from lunch, Edna offered Olivia a wink, which only made her more uncomfortable. She had the distinct feeling that Edna knew what had almost happened and she could only hope that Alex's father and grandfather remained oblivious.

The main course, which naturally was turkey, came as a bit of a relief to the detective, who really just wanted to put her head down and eat. As soon as dessert was over, she fully intended to pretend she was on call get back to the precinct. As much as she liked Alex's grandmother, she wasn't sure how much more of the Cabots she could take. How had Alex survived?

Over the course of eating the turkey, however, she came up with at least one plausible explanation.

After Alexander Cabot had pulled out his fifth story in a row about his daughter's brilliant achievements growing up, she fought the urge to yell. If Alex's father had just been showing off, proud about his daughter, it would have been fine. In fact, Olivia might have joined in. However, the older Cabot was clearly just trying to make a point about the difference between Olivia and his daughter, and it was working.

To make it worse, Alex didn't even seem to notice. She was still sulking, upset that Olivia had not wanted to make love in the bathroom. Alex Cabot was used to being irresistible and getting her way, and the brunette's rejection had upset her more than she wanted to admit.

Edna, who sensed the tension between the two, tried to offer a bridge to reconciliation. "So, Alex, how did you and Olivia meet?"

Alex forgot her displeasure for a brief moment and smiled at the memory. "I came up to her at work one day and told her that I was going to use all of her hard work to 'reach a broader constituency'." She had given Olivia a similar speech to the one she presented Captain Cragen during their breakfast meeting. Like Cragen, Olivia had not reacted kindly to her attitude. Wisely, Alex decided to leave out the part of the story about the Morris Commission.

Olivia almost choked on her turkey when Alexander Cabot nodded in approval, as if 'reaching a broader constituency' was the entire reason his daughter had started prosecuting SVU cases.

"Oh god, you sound just like your father," Edna laughed. "I imagine that went over so well with you, dear."

Olivia grinned sheepishly. "I might have thought she was a little stuck up, yes."

"Stuck up on what?" Emerson said loudly. "I don't understand, speak louder."

"She thought I was an arrogant bitch, grandpa," Alex said quite cheerily.

"Alex!"

To Olivia's surprise, the admonishment had come from not just Alexander, but also from his mother.

"Don't use such language."

"Don't call yourself that, dear," Edna said simultaneously.

The detective smiled. "She proved me wrong. Determined, intelligent, and professional, but not an arrogant bitch." She was hoping that the compliments would soothe Alex's lingering irritation so that they could continue enjoying themselves once they returned home after lunch. It was Christmas, and Olivia was more than willing to participate in some extracurricular activities... just not in the middle of a meal with the Cabots.

Alex seemed slightly mollified and allowed her hand to caress Olivia's bare knee. Foreseeing a continuation of their earlier problem and not wanting to repeat it, Olivia placed her own hand on top of Alex's, accepting the touch but firmly holding it in place so that her fingers would not wander any higher. Alex seemed to accept the compromise, at least for the moment.

"So, Olivia dear, what does the New Year hold for you?" The only person at the table addressing the detective was Edna. While Emerson made a few obscure references, Alexander Cabot was basically ignoring his daughter's girlfriend.

"Probably not much different than the Old Year," Olivia admitted, "except with more Alex in it."

"I have a feeling it will be a wonderful year for you both," Edna said kindly.

"What?" Emerson interrupted gruffly, still obviously not picking up on the two women's romantic relationship. Olivia had to remind herself not to roll her eyes. "Why would Alex want to spend New Years with her instead of her young man, Raymond?"

Alexander Cabot looked startled for a moment, but then he gave his daughter a knowing look. "Yes, Alexandra, why is that?"

"Aside from the fact that she is a wonderful, admirable person? Because Olivia is a better lover, honestly," Alex finally said through clenched teeth, more than fed up with the ill treatment her detective was receiving.

"Oh now, Alex honey, don't go provoking the tigers, that's my job," Edna said joyfully with a drink of her wine, effectively cutting off her son, who looked mortified. Emerson, naturally, hadn't heard a word.

"Raymond is not my young man, Grandpa," Alex projected across the table. "He wouldn't keep his hands to himself."

The eldest Cabot at the table adopted a disapproving look. "Oh, the young cad! You're well to be short shrift of him."

"I love how your grandparents talk."

"We were raised in a different era, dear," Edna replied distractedly, filling up her glass. Olivia had a feeling the older woman was almost three sheets to the wind now anyway.

In complete awe of what Alex had said – mostly, in fact, of whom she had directed the statements towards – Olivia was not sure whether she felt horrified, elated, or both. Yeah, probably both. In all her wildest daydreams (and horrible nightmares) she had never imagined a family gathering quite like this. A disapproving father was one thing, but throw in a drunk and friendly paternal grandmother along with a stodgy and half-deaf old grandfather who had probably never even heard of lesbians, let alone imagined that his granddaughter would turn out to be one, and... well, it made for one interesting Christmas lunch.

About that time, Olivia decided she really didn't care about the outcome of the entire affair. She would try and remain on her best behavior for Alex's sake, but the behavior of the four Cabots was completely out of her control, and she wasn't going to worry about it anymore.

"That's the spirit, dear," Edna chimed in, seeing Olivia's shoulders droop as her posture relaxed. "Nothing to be frightened of. We're all family here."

That was when the waiter came out with the fourth course. For the first time, Olivia felt the stirrings of her appetite return.

And perhaps dessert was the right time for that to happen, since Mrs. Beaton had apparently been rather undecided concerning the menu. She appeared to have made everything. Obviously, the standard Christmas pudding with custard was on view, but the jellies, home made ice cream, trifle, cheesecake, and what appeared to be some kind of caramel pie, were making Olivia's mouth water. She had not eaten too much of the previous courses, but now she was hungry.

"You always did like dessert," Alex remarked with a cheeky grin.

"Mm, good thing I like jogging, too."

"I definitely appreciate your efforts," Alex said, giving her lover a very pointed look that burned as it traveled over her breasts and flat stomach. Olivia knew that if she had been standing or bent over, Alex's eyes would have taken in the lovely curve of her behind as well. She wondered why the attorney was being so daring in front of her family, openly appraising her, but perhaps she wanted to set them on edge and make a point.

Maybe she should have felt embarrassed or used; she was not just a tool for Alex to get revenge on her stuffy male relatives, after all. Instead, she was almost flattered. From what she had seen so far, Alex's father and grandfather could do with a bit of stirring up, anyway. How they had produced her girlfriend she would never be able to fathom.

"You would have liked her mother, dear," Edna grinned at Olivia. Not for the first time, the brunette was taken aback by how the older woman seemed to read her mind. Alex did that, but Olivia and Alex had been dating for a while and Edna was a relative stranger.

The distraction, plus the need to spoon another portion of pie into her mouth, kept Olivia's attention away just enough that she felt the hand lying warmly on her knee smooth upwards, almost to her inner thigh, without any impedance.

Letting out a small, choked sob at the touch, all three of the table's occupants (excluding her suspiciously silent girlfriend) turned to look at her, eyes questioning. "Ummm..." Olivia fumbled, trying to search for an excuse. "This dessert really is excellent." As if to prove her point, she dug another spoonful into her helping of pie and swallowed nervously.

"I've noticed that you keep complimenting the food, Olivia," Alex purred, trying to move her hand higher despite Olivia's attempts to deflect her fingertips. "Well, I guess you _do_ like to eat..."

"Mrs. Beaton is an excellent cook," Emerson mumbled, following Olivia's pie eating with his own large bite. The fact that he had understood just fine made Olivia suddenly suspicious about the true level of the man's deafness, but the thought wasn't allowed to linger for too long.

"Hire the best, never have to re-hire," Alexander said pompously.

Olivia, however, couldn't answer. Alex had 'dropped' her spoon on the ground and as she leaned down to pick it up, two fingers were pressed right into the centre of Olivia's underwear, making the brunette blush and flood with wetness. Realizing that Alex would not be denied until she had gotten what she wanted, Olivia just hoped that she would be able to delay her a little longer until they were in private... And then those fingers pressed in, swirling maddeningly through the thin fabric.

"Alex, dear, stop teasing poor Olivia. I think the top of her head is going to come off," Edna chastised her favorite and only granddaughter.

That was too much for the pitiable detective, who covered her eyes with her palm and shook her head slowly, hiding in the darkness and hoping that the entire day would just rewind and reset itself like a VHS tape.

"I didn't say anything to her, Grandma," Alex replied archly. The look of innocence plastered on her face was not convincing in the slightest.

"Everyone loves a good joke," chuckled Emerson, clearly taking only what he wanted from the conversation. "Did you hear the one about the cylindrical submarine and the seamen?"

Edna shook her head sadly. "I think you just ruined the punch-line on that one, husband."

"Did I?" He frowned, chewing his last piece of pie thoughtfully. "Oh well."

"Why can't women park?" Alex asked.

It was at that point that Olivia decided she couldn't take any more. "Please excuse me, I think I need some fresh air, I'm really not used to all this food."

"Oh, don't leave, Olivia," Alex drawled, keeping a firm grip on Olivia's leg, preventing her from standing up. She didn't need her detective skills to realize that this was payback for turning Alex down in the bathroom earlier. The blonde wanted to make her suffer, and unfortunately, she was succeeding.

"Fine," Olivia said through gritted teeth. She was really tempted to stab Alex's hand with her fork, and if the attorney did not stop what she was doing, she might just lose it... "why can't women park?"

Alex held up her fingers so they were about three inches apart. "Because men keep telling them this is six inches."

It was a little hard to decide which reaction was better: Alexander Cabot so shocked he sprayed wine all over his empty dessert plate and then glared so hard Olivia thought the glassware might freeze, or Edna Cabot nearly falling off her chair with laughter. Emerson just managed a confused look.

Olivia took the opportunity of Alex's proud chuckle at her family's response to stand up once and for all.

"Excuse me," she said, and fled.


	5. Chapter 5

The response to this story has been amazing! Sez and I just want to say thank you for all those who took the time to read and, especially, to review! These reviews really make our day. The next 3,000 words are almost completely smut, though, so you have been warned. Oh, and aolurker, please give Clom back so we can do Chapter Six. I need her. XP In return, however, I present this chapter of smut to you as a Christmas present!

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**Chapter Five:**

Breathing heavily, Olivia made her escape as quickly as possible, retreating to the safe haven of the bathroom. Her cheeks were burning with a mixture of humiliation and arousal and she definitely wanted to be away from the group. One more minute in there and she would have either committed a homicide or torn off Alex's clothes and taken her right there on the table. Neither option was appropriate for a family meal. And so she found herself staring in the same bathroom mirror, experiencing a sense of déjà vu as she turned the tap and splashed some cold water onto her face. She definitely needed to cool off.

She shouldn't have been surprised when the door opened after her and then shut again with the very audible click of a lock, but she spun around anyway, staring straight into Alex's blue, blue eyes. Olivia opened her mouth to say something, but was immediately cut off as one hand wound its way into her hair and a very hot, very insistent set of lips covered her own. She moaned.

The kiss was hot, wet, and full of unspoken promises, and Olivia was helpless to resist it or the hands that tweaked the aroused tips of her breasts through the fabric of her dress. Later, Olivia would regret not firing back with a snappy comment, not struggling harder, not resisting as Alex dropped to her knees and dipped her head under the hem of her dress, pulling her panties aside and sliding her tongue deep inside her entrance. "Gah! Aleeex..."

"God, you taste good," Alex moaned, voice slightly muffled by her position. The vibrations made Olivia's knees tremble.

"A-lex...," the brunette panted. Her hand immediately found the back of the blonde's head and the other went behind her to hold onto the counter. When Alex's tongue was on her, the detective found it terribly difficult to keep standing. "Fuck."

"And you didn't want this," she purred, letting her lips brush Olivia's swollen flesh as she formed the words. For a moment, Alex considered teasing, considered asking her to recant her earlier rejection, but seeing Olivia helpless under her lips and tongue was more than worth it.

Apparently, Alexandra Cabot always got what she set her sights on after all.

"I..." Olivia gasped, her fingers tightening reflexively, "I always... want... this... just..." Alex's tongue flicked, fluttering, making the detective lose track of what she was saying. "Oh god."

"Mmmm..." Another flick of Alex's tongue made Olivia shudder. "You were saying."

"I... your father's house... oh ... god... Alex... do that again."

The attorney smiled, peeling apart wet, puffy outer lips to bathe the inner ones with her tongue, covering every sensitive inch of her lover in one broad sweep. Olivia's knees threatened to give out and Alex gripped Olivia's hips with her hands, content just to use her mouth. Just as Olivia's pelvis rocked harder into the torturous touch, she stopped.

"You're right. We are in my parents' house. Maybe this isn't such a good idea..." she said, moving to get up, an evil gleam flashing behind the lenses of her Prada glasses.

Without replying to the remark, Olivia hauled the blonde into her arms, searing their mouths together. She could taste herself on the lawyer's lips, a tang that made her long to do the same to her lover.

"You want this just as much as I do," she growled into the kiss. "I bet if slid my hands in your panties right now, I'd find you soaking."

"Uh... yeah," Alex's head leaned to the side, exposing a long, slender neck. "Oh Jesus." The brunette's teeth bit down and then a tongue soothed. She left no mark, not wanting to rile up the Cabots too much when they emerged.

Momentarily forgetting her own need, she concentrated on whispering promises into the delicate pink shell of the lawyer's ear. "Just remember, you're the one who asked for this," she rumbled deep in her chest as she flipped up Alex's skirt, squeezing past the thin strap of her thong and grazing wet heat.

Alex bucked in her arms, giving a full-body jerk and calling out Olivia's name. This was a surprising turn of events, but not unwelcome. Truthfully, she had pushed Olivia's buttons earlier in the hopes of getting her own "button" pushed, and she wasn't going to complain now. "Shhh... it's too late to stop now, and I don't want anyone to hear us..."

"God, Olivia," Alex panted, overwhelmed by the feeling of Olivia's fingers toying between her legs, stroking expertly in counterpoint to the murmured words against the salty skin of her throat.

Spinning Alex around, Olivia placed her hand under the blonde's ass cheeks, and then lifted her onto the counter. "We have to be quick, baby, but don't worry, I'll make sure it's good." Olivia spread the attorney's legs and pulled her thong out of the way. "Hard and fast, but good."

The lawyer's moan was enough to draw another pulse of wetness from Olivia, convincingly ruining her underwear. She placed two fingers at the hot, moist entrance to her lover, playing with the tender skin there and teasing just a little.

"God, Olivia... Inside, please – take me..."

The detective groaned, complying with the request and sinking deep into willing heat. Who was she to resist such a request from Alex? Overwhelmed by the sensation of her lover's inner walls gripping her fingers, twitching with the shuddering pulses of her building arousal, Olivia let herself forget all of her worries. It didn't matter that they were in a bathroom in the Cabot mansion anymore. All that mattered was Alex, warm and tight and all hers... God, the feeling of being inside her, it was amazing beyond words.

Kissing Alex to swallow her cries, she began a slow, steady rocking motion, building up the rhythm as she continued to thrust deeper and deeper. She tried her best to keep some control, but as she felt heels press into the back of her thighs, legs wrap around her, and fingernails dig into her shoulder blades, she began to lose it a little bit. Her thrusts became a little wilder, pushing a little deeper and drawing slightly sweeter, more desperate moans from Alex.

Breaking her mouth away from the kiss, she mumbled against her lover's lips. "God, I love it when you come, baby. Come for me. Squeeze my fingers, show me how I make you feel."

"Liv..." The gasp was punctuated by an arch into thrusting fingers. "I'm... so... close."

"That's it. Now, sweetheart. I love you..."

Those three words pushed her over the edge, and Alex Cabot experienced what it was like to fly. Falling, falling, her body was consumed with helpless, powerful tremors. Bright spots danced in front of her vision as she stared into soft brown eyes, collapsing against Olivia's heaving chest, listening to her heavy breathing, her pounding heartbeat. She tried to speak, but couldn't even come out with Olivia's name, only a soft whimper as she writhed and twitched around the fingers that still impaled her.

Olivia smiled in satisfaction. Alex might have started this little game, but she had definitely ended it, and it was delicious.

"God damn but you're good at that," she finally gasped.

"Mmm, I like to be good at what I love," Olivia whispered against her lips. "You taste so good." If anything, it was Alex who was surprised when the brunette dropped to her knees, spread the blonde's legs and dipped her tongue in, tasting the literal fruits of her labor.

"Olivia!" Came Alex's gasp.

The detective stood up. "As I said... you taste so good." She leaned in. "Want me to keep going?"

Alex groaned. "I'd love to, but we have to get back to the dinner table..."

Olivia growled, not liking that idea one bit. If they were going to have wild, risky sex in a bathroom, they were damn sure going to make the most of it. They had already taken the risk. Surely a few more minutes wouldn't hurt...

"Alex, no..." Despite Olivia's protests, Alex hopped down off of her perch, tasting her orgasm on Olivia's gorgeous mouth as she leaned in for another deep kiss. All too quickly, she ended it, reaching her hand beneath the detective's dress to caress the warm skin of her leg for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Even so, the feel of bare, burning skin against the pads of her fingers was overwhelming, mostly because that skin belonged to Olivia. She could never get enough of Olivia.

"I think it's my turn to give you a hand... or two..."

The brunette's hips jerked suddenly, responding to the needful tone in Alex's voice. "You said we had to get back..."

"You'll only take a minute, baby, trust me," she said, grazing high enough to feel the wetness trailing down Olivia's thigh.

"Oh... probably quicker than that," the brunette gasped. "God... I need you."

"Mmm... I can tell."

Fingers slid the edge of Olivia's dress up and pulled her panties down past her knees. Not waiting for long legs to be freed, she promptly slid her fingers into Olivia's wetness, pushing over a throbbing, swollen bud.

"Oh ... fuck... Alex..."

"Mmm, you already fucked Alex. Now it's time for Alex to fuck Olivia. How do you want it, baby? Hard and fast, or slow and deep? Tell me how you want it."

"Aaah... fast and hard - god, hard..." Olivia whimpered. The tables had turned. She was still reeling from the switch when Alex's fingers shoved inside of her all the way to the knuckle, filling her, stretching her, teasing and tempting her. She was helpless against the pleasurable assault and collapsed against a mirror on the wall, not noticing the hard surface behind her skull as her eyes rolled back into her head. Her hips bucked, shifting forward, searching for more, more contact, more of anything, more of Alex.

Alex didn't tease. It was too late for that. She curled her fingertips forwards, scraping against the soft, ridged area just inside of Olivia's entrance, the place that made her keen with pleasure and shiver with need. Olivia rolled her hips forward, shuddering with every thrust.

When she felt Alex fall to her knees, lifting the dress with her spare hand and ducking her head down, the brunette groaned. It only took the heat of Alex's tongue on her swollen bud to push her very close to the edge. She felt the rough edge lave her, over and over, pushing her closer as fingers thrust in, a third one added, deep, strong. She mustn't have been the only one enjoying it, because when the blonde moaned, the vibrations were enough to send Olivia spiraling over the edge, biting her hand to keep from crying out.

As Alex continued to ease her through the contractions, Olivia was grounded by the warm, comforting hand rubbing circles on a damp thigh as her tongue and the fingers of her other hand continued to work steadily, coaxing out every last pulse of pleasure. "Oh God, Lex," Olivia panted, completely undone by the swift, violent release. "Oooh God..." she said again, collapsing back against the wall with a groan of pleasure and exhaustion. "I've arrested people for doing this..."

"You've arrested people for making love in bathrooms?" Even though the attorney's words were muffled, Olivia could understand them. Reluctantly, Alex placed one last kiss at the top of Olivia's panties and slid them back into place, ducking out from beneath the detective's dress. She brought her fingers up to her mouth and proceeded to clean them with a happy look on her face, completely mesmerizing Olivia.

"I... Stop, don't do that."

"Why not?" Alex grinned. "I love how you taste."

"Because we already look like two people who had sex in a bathroom, and now I want you to go down on me again... how can I go back to the table both wanting that and looking like I've just had sex?"

The blonde grinned again. "You HAVE just had sex."

Olivia groaned. "That's not the point. The point is that I don't want your father to know that."

"Know what?" Alex said, still enjoying the aftertaste of Olivia on her tongue.

"What?" Olivia asked, noticing the evil gleam in her lover's eye. She was all too familiar with that look, and although she usually liked what it entailed, right now was probably not the best time to be distracted by the blonde's wiles.

"If he doesn't already know, he's gonna know after this..." Alex hiked Olivia's dress up past her waist and began nuzzling at the panties she had settled back in place, ruining them all over again as the detective squeaked in surprise. "I have to taste you again," she mumbled over the fabric, her nose riding against the hard point of Olivia's clit. "Mmmm..." The moan of pleasure in the back of Alex's throat was too much. Olivia let her thighs fall apart, leaving herself open to Alex's sweeping tongue. She was beyond caring. The first orgasm had been intense, but she had a feeling that this one was going to make her see stars.

It took her a few moments of Alex's firm pressure on her hips to understand what the blonde wanted. She whimpered when those amazing lips, that incredible tongue, were taken away for a brief time, but once she was safely ensconced up on the vanity, a tap nudging uncomfortably at the small of her back, she didn't care. Alex's mouth was back, hot and open on her, a tongue making teasing dips and mind-blowing swirls. It appeared that despite their location, Olivia's lover had no intention of making this fast.

"God, I love you."

Alex sighed happily at the confession without stopping the movements of her mouth; scraping her teeth lightly over swollen flesh and making the muscles in Olivia's thighs twitch. Despite her efforts to cling to the edge of the vanity, Olivia found one of her hands tangled in Alex's silky blonde hair, pulling her closer, tighter. The attorney was being a tease, and that was just not acceptable when she was this close to the edge. "Alex," she gasped, trying to pull in desperately needed air as a warm tongue flattened over her folds, stroking upwards and pausing at the crest to savor the taste. "Pleeeease..."

"I love it when you beg," Alex murmured, stopping the long, languid strokes and replacing them with soft, wet kisses that did not give Olivia the pressure or relief she needed.

"Fuck... I'll scream in a minute baby," Olivia moaned. "And not in the right way..."

Alex couldn't help but grin at that, but she gave in. Now really wasn't the time to be making her lover beg, to be teasing. Right now she wanted to taste the soft, warm flesh that would pulse whenever Olivia came one step closer to her climax. She reached a hand up, sliding it under the brunette's shirt until it was cupping a breast, tweaking the nipple between her thumb and forefinger. Olivia's breath hitched at the new stimulation and pushed forward, urging her breast closer to Alex's hand, encouraging her to cup its full weight even as she rolled the peak between her fingertips, pinching fairly hard. Alex smiled, enjoying the way it made Olivia twitch against her tongue with small little jumps.

Urging her lover's outer folds apart, she sucked the detective's inner lips into her mouth, bathing them as she sought out the places that would make Olivia scream, whimper, and (eventually) come for her.

For her. She liked the sound of that.

Watching Alex work eagerly between her legs was one of the most erotic things Olivia had ever seen. The way her head dipped to take more of her, the small sounds of satisfaction that fell from her lips, only slightly muffled by her position... it was almost unbearable. Olivia tilted her pelvis up, straining for more contact. This time, Alex gave it to her, lashing hard with her tongue and meeting her stroke for stroke as her hips bucked.

Winding one hand through blonde locks, Olivia tried not to hold on too hard as she let her hips tilt harder. The feelings of pleasure coursing through her were almost orgasmic in their intensity, but she knew she wasn't there yet. When a thumb and finger squeezed her nipple again, almost to the level of pain, she felt it.

Then she saw it.

Stars.

Mind blowing pleasure like a freight train rattled through her, causing her to lash out with her leg and she knew she'd bruise as it hit the wall. It was involuntary, the way her hips bucked, the way her hand tightened in Alex's hair, and the way she drew blood from her lip as she tried not to scream. It didn't prevent the long, almost tortuous moan that managed to escape anyway.

Relishing in the primal, desperate sounds coming from her lover, Alex let Olivia ride out her orgasm, not caring that the grip on her hair was almost uncomfortable, not caring that Olivia's foot had narrowly missed striking her head. The detective was completely unhinged and Alex knew that she couldn't help it. She loved seeing Olivia like this, totally out of control, doing things she never would have imagined doing just a few hours ago and absolutely loving it. It was a powerful feeling, almost like a drug, knowing just how much Olivia wanted and needed her. It made her feel like the most special woman in the entire world.


	6. Chapter 6

Still not done! There's an epilogue.

* * *

**Chapter Six:**

When Olivia slumped over and began to slide off her perch, Alex was there to support some of her weight with her shoulders. All of her muscles had gone completely limp, and she was still shaking all over, pulsing with aftershocks. "Mmm, are you okay, baby?" Alex asked, pressing one last kiss to her lover's wetness.

There was no reply. Instead, Olivia pitched forward, burying her face in the blonde's neck and trembling in her arms. Alex chuckled and stroked Olivia's mussed locks of brunette hair until the detective finally pulled her face free an inch.

"You've killed me."

Alex looked and felt particularly smug. She was proud of the orgasms she had given her lover. "Good."

"Not good," Olivia growled. "We have to go back to the table and it's going to be painfully obvious what you just did to me. There is no way I can carry on a conversation now. I hate you."

"No you don't." Alex let go of Olivia and took a step back. "You love me, and you want me to do that again."

"I don't think I could come again right now."

"Okay, not right now, but maybe later."

Olivia shook herself, trying to loosen her tense muscles, and then slid off the counter. "We are never doing this at your father's Christmas lunch again," she stated firmly. "In fact, we're never coming to your father's Christmas luncheon again."

"Well, I was kind of hoping we wouldn't have to," Alex replied while straightening herself up. "I was hoping we'd have a family Christmas just with us and..." Her voice trailed off, as though the attorney's thoughts had only just caught up with her words.

"And who, baby?"

Alex blushed, stumbling over her words. "The child I want to have for you," she whispered, letting her secret spill out and hoping that Olivia wouldn't take it the wrong way. What if it was too soon? Olivia was great with kids, but did she want any of her own? More importantly, did she want them with Alex?

Olivia gasped. "Alex– ... you mean...?" As the words slowly penetrated the thick fog of arousal and surprise she was still wrapped in, a wide grin spread across her face and she lit up brighter than a Christmas tree. "You would want that? With me?"

The attorney looked up into Olivia's shining eyes, suddenly feeling much more confident. "Yes. Yes, I would."

This beautiful, wonderful woman wanted to carry and raise a child with her. She felt honored as well as excited and loved. The knowledge was powerful and overwhelming. Olivia brought her hands up to cup Alex's face. Her lover, her best friend, her soul mate. All these words and more applied to Alex, but at this moment, the normally intelligent detective couldn't think of anything else to say. Instead, she brought their lips together in a soft, tender, love infused kiss.

"I want to make a family with you, Alex."

The lawyer smiled warmly, feeling lighter than air. "You're already my family, Liv." Foreheads gently resting on each other, the brunette stroked a thumb down one alabaster cheek.

"I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you, too."

Alex leaned in close, about to bring their lips together in a sweet kiss, when the romantic moment was interrupted by a gentle knock on the door. "Hello, girls," a familiar voice called out, "are you both in there?" The happy, loving atmosphere quickly shifted to one of intense embarrassment. Olivia and Alex looked at each other with identical expressions of panic, both of their faces bright red.

"That isn't...?"

"Is it?"

"I think it is..."

"Oh God, what do we do?"

Olivia was starting to panic, but Alex tried to keep her cool. "Just stop talking! Maybe she'll just give up and go away..."

"I can hear you in there, Alex, my dear. I'm not going to just give up and go away."

"We'll be out in a minute, Grandma, I'm just helping Olivia... get something out of her eye."

"Why? Is her eye at navel level, dearie?"

Olivia's eyes bugged out of her face as she stared at her lover in horror. "She didn't just say that."

"I think she did," Alex sighed. "Grandma, will you give us a minute? We really will be right out."

"Well, all right, darling. It's just that your father is wondering where you are, and I have a desperate need to use the facilities."

The blonde continued to put her clothing and hair to rights while replying through the door. "Grandma, there are several other bathrooms in this house. You can always use one of them." Alex's preference was clearly implied.

"Oh, sweetheart, you don't want to make an old woman walk up the stairs, do you?"

"Quite a few on this floor," Alex muttered under her breath.

"She's going to stand there until we leave, isn't she?" Olivia said, distinct fear tingeing her voice.

"Yes. She most definitely is. If you survive this, Olivia Benson, I swear I'll marry you," Alex said. She wondered for a moment if the statement was too much too soon, but since she had already let the child secret slip, marriage did not seem so unthinkable.

Olivia smiled. Alex was being very brave today with her confessions, but when it came to facing Edna, she looked more than a little terrified. The calm, collected attorney that faced tough opponents every day in court was afraid to confront her own grandmother. Then again, the thought of anyone's grandmother nearly walking in on one of their sexual interludes would probably be frightening, Olivia reasoned.

"I love you, Alex. It'll be okay... I don't know how, but I promise we'll work it out." With the way things were turning out now, Olivia almost regretted the rash decision to satisfy their carnal urges in the bathroom. Almost.

"That's really quite lovely, girls, but could you come out now? I was not lying about needing the facilities."

"Babe, she knows everything anyway," Olivia hissed, trying to phrase what she wanted to say in a non-specific manner. "Let's just straighten up, walk out, smile at her, and go back to the table. It's not like anyone in your family will actually say anything."

Alex brushed her hands down the front of her dress, straightening out the creases. "I suppose you're right."

"Quite urgently!" Edna added through the door, her voice an octave higher than previously.

Olivia gave her lover a weak smile. "Your grandmother may explode if we don't leave now."

"Also true."

With a dramatic sigh that she knew Edna could hear through the door, Olivia turned on the faucet and squirted some soft soap onto her hands for a quick wash, not wanting to make things any more awkward than they needed to be. Unfortunately, there was not much they could do about the lingering smell of sex that clung to their bodies and clothing. Tensing her jaw and taking in a deep, calming breath through her nose, she moved aside so that Alex could take a turn at the sink and opened the door. Edna, who had been leaning against the door's frame, nearly fell inside the room. The detective quickly shot out an arm to steady her.

Once the older lady had regained her footing, she offered her granddaughter and Olivia a brilliant smile. Despite their rumpled appearance and embarrassed expressions, they really did not look too out of sorts. In fact, Olivia seemed much more relaxed. "Well, it seems that both of you had a better time at this luncheon than you expected," she said cheerfully.

Olivia narrowed her eyes at Edna suspiciously. "Didn't you say you needed to use the... um... facilities?"

"Clearly not as much as you two did." Perhaps she imagined it, but the detective almost swore that she saw Edna wink at her. "Besides, both of you are still here."

"That is going to change as soon as possible," Alex mumbled, drying her hands on a small towel. Taking Olivia's hand, she pulled the brunette from the bathroom and closed the door with a very pointed look to her grandmother, who was still smiling like a thousand watt light bulb.

"I swear, she has some weird kind of dementia."

Olivia ran a hand through her messy hair. "I like her." She did not like getting caught in the bathroom, but she supposed it was their own fault for getting carried away.

"Well, I suppose we should head back to the dining room and pretend we've been playing golf."

"Golf?"

"Well, you did find the hole," Alex quipped. "Just get back to the table and don't say anything."

The brunette chuckled. "Yes, ma'am."

They were halfway down the corridor when the blonde stopped. She turned to her lover and looked into her eyes, searching for the answer she wanted. "You really do want a family with me, don't you?" It was a statement, not a question, but Olivia could feel the tension in the moment, the reassurance that Alex needed. Removing her hand from Alex's, she cupped the attorney's face and smiled gently.

"More than you could possibly believe."

And Alex knew, that even though she and Olivia might be stuck having one of the most inconvenient, tiresome, and awkward Christmas luncheons ever, it was still possible to steal perfect moments.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven:**

"Charlie, no, don't eat that. You'll get salmonella..." Quicker than the Grinch stealing presents, Alex snatched the roll of raw cookie dough from a pouting three year old and held it out of reach.

"Mama... giv'it," he mumbled, reaching out pudgy hands, opening his brown eyes wide and giving the lawyer an absolutely pitiful look of longing.

"No. You'll get sick. Besides, that's not how polite little boys ask for things."

"Pleeeease?"

"No."

Warm lips pressed against the back of Alex's neck, momentarily causing her to forget about the cookie dough. "Aw, let him have a piece," said Olivia, wrapping her arms around Alex's waist from behind. "He's not gonna fall over and die."

"That's what you say to me when I take the cookie dough away from you, Mrs. Sweet Tooth. Then I let you have some, you eat the whole roll, and you spend the night holding your stomach and groaning about how miserable you are."

"First, the name is Mrs. Cabot, thank you." Alex chuckled at that. "And secondly, if you give him a tiny bit, you'll both be happy. He won't have too much so you won't cry when he cries."

Charlie, who generally didn't have the stamina for the Cabot/Benson arguments, turned his attention to trying to open the fridge where he knew the juice was. Having been born of Alex, he had beautiful blonde hair, and enough height, even at three, to reach the handle. He didn't, however, have the strength to get past the child lock.

"C'n I have some juice please?" His brown eyes were turned again on his mothers, and Olivia suspected that he already knew how devastating they were.

"Juice is a much better choice," Alex conceded. "You have to drink it at the table, though."

"Okay," Charlie agreed, willing to compromise.

Letting go of her wife, Olivia headed over to the fridge. "All right, little man, what kind of juice do you want?" Without being asked, Alex opened a cupboard to take out a sippy cup. Strangely, motherhood suited her, although she did not necessarily like the changes it had brought to their expensive apartment. A little of her frosty demeanor had melted, but she was just as stubborn and passionate as ever. That was good, since Alex had to deal with a three year old every day... and Olivia, who could act like a three year old when she didn't get her way.

"Orange," Charlie pronounced with great certainty.

"Orange it is." She poured herself a glass and then half filled Charlie's sippy cup, aware that even with the fairly well sealed lid, Charlie could get juice anywhere if there was enough of it in the cup. "You want some honey?"

"Nope, I'm good," Alex said, frowning over the dial on the oven as she put the neatly sliced Christmas cookie dough into the oven.

"When is Santa comin'?"

Since Alex was busy with the cookies, Olivia answered. "Not until late tonight, Charlie. First Grandpa Alex, Nana, and Pop have to come for dinner." Since Charlie was a little young to understand the Cabot family tree, Edna and Emerson had chosen to be Nana and Pop respectively. "Then we'll read The Night Before Christmas, put out cookies and milk for Santa-"

"And carrots?" Charlie interrupted. Olivia did not chastise him for it. In fact, she found it endearing that he remembered the carrots they had left for the reindeer the year before. For a three year old, he had a pretty big brain, and it was still growing. He reminded her a lot of Alex.

"And carrots. Then we all go to bed and when we wake up tomorrow morning, there will be presents under the tree."

"And stockings?"

"And stockings," she confirmed.

"Will you help me put out da cookies?"

"Of course I will."

"What if I eat them?"

Olivia heard Alex laugh from across the kitchen, clearly eavesdropping on the fascinating conversation. "Well, I think that you might get to have some cookies for after dinner, so your little tummy will be full and Santa can have his."

"I don't fink my tummy is ever too full of cookies," Charlie said with a sip of his juice.

This time, Olivia couldn't hold back her snort of laughter.

"Well, he's definitely your son, Olivia," Alex said. "I hope you're proud."

Before Olivia could respond that she was incredibly proud, the door buzzed. "They're here," Olivia said, looking almost glum. Granted, she and Alexander Cabot got along much better now than they had in the past, but the relationship was still a little stiff. He wasn't all bad. He had walked Alex down the aisle at their wedding (after some prodding from Edna) and he had been there at the birth of their son. He visited Charlie regularly, so Olivia had grown accustomed to tolerating him even though they didn't exactly gel. Taking Charlie's hand, she led him from the kitchen. "Come on, let's go say hi to Grandpa Alex, Pop, and Nana." Remembering that Edna was also visiting cheered her up considerably.

"Yay! Nana!"

"Uh uh uh," Alex called out. "Cups to the kitchen."

Simultaneously grumbling, both Olivia and Charlie did as they were told and then went to let their guests in. Edna was still Edna, the same as ever, though Emerson was looking a little frailer these days. Both were well into their eighties, but that hadn't stopped Edna from being, well, Edna.

"Olivia," Alexander said in polite greeting. His tone towards his grandson was significantly warmer though. "Charlie m'boy!"

"Hi Grandpa! Olivia says Santa's comin'."

Alexander bent down so that Charlie could give him a hug and kiss. "Olivia is right."

Biting back a sarcastic reply, Olivia smiled instead. "Hello, Edna."

"Hello, Olivia dear," said the older woman, smiling fondly at her favorite daughter in law. "Say hello, Emerson."

"What?" said her husband, scratching one ear. "Oh, hello." It had taken time, but gradually, Emerson had stopped asking after Alex's 'young man'. After their wedding, he did not mention the idea of Alex finding a male partner at all.

"Hello Emerson," Olivia chuckled. Despite his strange insistence at ignoring their relationship, Olivia was fond of Emerson, and knew why Alex loved the man so much. He was smart, funny, profoundly deaf and quite hilarious. He also treated Olivia with respect, which was a little more than his son gave the brunette.

Charlie, being careful as he'd been told to, gently hugged Edna and Emerson. Looking up at his great grandfather, he frowned. "You're very old."

"Charlie!" Both of his mothers simultaneously exclaimed. Edna, however, just laughed.

"That he is, boy, that he is."

"My name's Charlie, not boy," he said, not with correction but with self-assurance that only Alex could have given him.

"Hello, Charlie," said Emerson, reaching down to pat the boy's cheek. Unlike Alexander, he could not bend low to greet Charlie on his level. "You know, I first met your Mama Olivia on Christmas."

Alex smiled, remembering that Christmas long ago while Olivia took Emerson, Edna, and Alexander's coats. The memory, particularly their intimate encounter in the first floor bathroom, was still fresh and clear years later. Edna caught her eye, smiling at her as Alex closed the front door and ushered the group into the kitchen. "Come on everyone, the food is ready and cookies are still in the oven."

"Oh good," said Edna. "Olivia has a sweet tooth, if I remember correctly..."

Olivia smiled gently. If Alex counted as sweet, she definitely had a sweet tooth.

"Grandpa, mama says tomorrow we get presents, and Santa is coming and there are cookies and grandpa, why is Santa so fat? Grandpa, come and look at my trains. How does he fit down the chimney?"

Olivia couldn't help chuckle as Alexander was dragged off under what she liked to call the "Charlie onslaught". She and Alex were used to it by now, but the look on Alexander's face told her that he was going to be very, very exhausted by the end of his visit.

"He's just like Alex was at that age," Edna said with a lovely smile.

"I can just imagine," Olivia said dryly. "I think this might be payback."

"Thanks," Alex said, taking the time to stick her tongue out at her wife.

"Is that an offer?" Olivia teased back, almost forgetting that they were not alone. When she remembered Emerson's presence, a bright blush colored her normally smooth brown complexion. Alex studied her, chewing on the corner of her mouth as she decided whether or not to respond. Emerson took the decision away from her.

"According to my wife, that is what got you in to trouble at that Christmas dinner I was mentioning."

Both women were shocked. Emerson, while lucid in his interactions with them, occasionally had a faulty memory and rarely acknowledged their relationship openly. The comment was so unexpected that Alex and Olivia could only stare at each other in surprise, completely mortified.

Edna clicked her tongue at them. "My husband isn't a fool, girls. Of course he knew what happened that day."

"Good for him," Olivia said, with a huge grin. She decided that if they were going to be open, she wouldn't dissemble too much.

Walking to her wife, she placed a relatively chaste kiss on her Alex's cheek and a warm hand on her stomach. They were going to wait for a few more weeks to tell anyone that Charlie's younger sibling was on the way, but she still couldn't help touching. She swore that she could already feel the life growing inside Alex.

"And then we're going to the park, and then Mama said I might get a milkshake if I'm good, and then... Mama, when's dinner?" Clearly Charlie and Alexander had done a complete circuit of the apartment and were back now. Olivia couldn't help feeling secret joy that Alexander looked positively shell-shocked.

"Right now, honey," Alex said, leaning in to Olivia briefly as she felt warm hands caress her belly. She was not starting to show yet, but in a few weeks it would be apparent to everyone that she was carrying another child. Olivia was hoping for a girl, but Alex did not really have a preference. It took a few moments for Olivia to release her, but eventually Alex unwound herself from the detective's light embrace. "Come on. The food's ready."

Charlie smiled. Taking Edna's hand this time, he led her into the kitchen. "Let's go eat, Nana! Sometimes at dinner Mama lets me drink out of a grown up cup."

"Which is why the furniture has plastic covers," Alex muttered under her breath.

"He's a bundle of energy, isn't he," remarked her father.

Olivia chuckled again. "He's pretty perfect though."

"Well, of course, he's a Cabot."

The detective couldn't help but agree. "Yeah, Cabots are pretty perfect, but that doesn't mean they're easy to handle."

"Quite the opposite," Alex added, leading the family in to dinner after Charlie and Edna. The young boy was chattering away to his great grandmother, excitedly demonstrating how he could cut his own food (mostly) and drink out of the big boy cup. "Charlie," Alex said, shaking her head slightly. "You were supposed to wait for us to come in so we could all eat together."

Charlie pouted. "I was just showing Nana..."

"Don't fuss at him, Alex. He's not the only one that likes to eat when he's not supposed to."

Olivia, who was the last into the kitchen, choked on air and started coughing with surprise and embarrassment.

"Oh for God's sake, Nan, leave her be. I like my wife in one piece and you're likely to make her explode if you keep prodding her like that." The blonde sat down next to Charlie. "Besides, little ears do hear things, and are smarter than we think."

"She means me," Charlie said conspiratorially to his great grandmother. "She usually does."

"That's because you're important." Olivia ruffled her son's hair and then moved around to sit next to Alex, since Edna was occupying her usual chair on the other side of the small boy. "Want me to cut up your food, baby?" she offered even though Charlie was a seat away.

"I can do it!" Charlie protested, wanting to be independent even though he was only three.

Alex smiled at him and offered a compromise. "How about you do the first few cuts and then Olivia can do the other ones?"

Charlie frowned, clearly thinking about it. "Okay," he agreed, surrendering his plastic knife to Olivia after a few stabs.

Alexander smiled fondly at his grandson. Even though visits usually left him shell-shocked by the youngster's excessive energy, he enjoyed spending time with Charlie. Watching his daughter's wife cut the food on Charlie's plate, he also had to admit that Olivia was a very attentive parent.

The dinner was pleasant. Ever since Olivia had made it clear she was not going back to the Cabot's mansion during formal occasions, Alex had made an effort to have things at their apartment. Both of them appreciated having family around at family times, and yet, when it was on Olivia's territory, she felt much safer. Charlie, of course, made things significantly easier, as a conduit to conversation. Since he could have a conversation all by himself, it took the pressure off.

Nevertheless, Olivia was a little happier when they'd politely ushered everyone out the door, and a very sleepy Charlie was protesting in Alex's arms that he wanted to stay up and see Santa. Since the brunette had no intention of dressing up in a white beard and red suit, Charlie was required to go to sleep, and soon.

"Where should I wait for Santa?" he asked Olivia from Alex's safe hold. "The fire 'scape? We don't have a chimney."

"Santa is magical. He doesn't need to climb the fire escape," Alex told him.

"And he doesn't come until all good little boys are in bed," Olivia added, keeping her tone gentle but firm. "It's just like the song, little buddy. He sees you when you're sleeping and he knows when you're awake. If you don't go to sleep, he might pass by our apartment."

The threat worked. Deeply concerned that Santa would skip their home, Charlie allowed Alex and Olivia to carry him into his bedroom.

"C'n mama Livia read me Rudolf again?"

"Sure, baby."

Tucking him into his racing car bed, one that Olivia had insisted that they get, the brunette sat down with her back against the head of the bed and opened Rudolph the red nose Reindeer to the first page.

"It was the night before Christmas, and Santa was getting his sleigh ready to take presents to all the good children of the world."

"Baby," Alex interrupted softly. "He's already asleep."

Having read the story about fifty times that week, Olivia was secretly glad. She closed the book and leaned down, pressing a kiss to her son's forehead. Charlie was sound asleep and did not stir, but he was smiling gently. Olivia left the book on the chair and stood up, preparing to go and fill Charlie's stocking, but the sight of Alex framed by the moonlight stopped her. Instead, she joined her wife at the bedroom window, opening her arms for Alex to settle in to. Snow was falling, and since it was fresh, it blanketed the city in crisp, clean white instead of turning in to gray New York slush.

"It's beautiful," Olivia said, her hands once again wandering to Alex's stomach and caressing absentmindedly.

Alex purred at the attention. "You're beautiful." She leaned in for a soft, gentle kiss that spoke of love and affection. Their bond had only strengthened over the years. "Merry Christmas, Olivia."

"Merry Christmas, Alex." Olivia gave Alex's form a slight squeeze, loving the way their bodies lined up. "I don't suppose we can make love under the Christmas tree this year with little ears listening for Santa, but perhaps our bedroom with a lock is an acceptable substitute?"

Alex nuzzled the juncture of Olivia's throat, placing a warm kiss on her shoulder. "Mmm. I suppose..."

The brunette held back a throaty moan, not wanting to wake Charlie. Her hands fell to her wife's hips, pulling the blonde in closer as she buried her nose in sweet smelling locks.

"Love you."

"Love you too," came back the whispered reply.

"Love our family."

Alex chuckled. "That's pretty obvious. We're kinda lucky, aren't we?"

Looking down into blue, blue eyes, Olivia smiled. "The luckiest."


End file.
